Security threats to mobile phone users are increasing and need
to be addressed more effectively.
Europeans are experiencing a 21.3% increase of unwanted text
messages year on year, according to a study by comScore M:Metrics
in the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.
This shows there is still some improvement needed despite some
mobile operators leading the way in deploying anti-spam
products, the study found.
With some spam messages containing mobile worms and viruses,
this statistic is cause for concern, said the study conducted on
behalf of mobile infrastructure firm
Airwide Solutions.
Alistair Hill, analyst at comScore M:Metrics, said the study
proves that mobile
security has to be taken more seriously.
"It is clear that we rely on our mobile phones to carry out a
large percentage of our daily tasks. Ensuring we are protected from
security risks is paramount," he said.
The problem is expected to get worse as more people use their
mobile phones to access financial information.
Around 5.6 million Europeans access financial information and
carry out transactions from their mobile phones, which represents a
jump of 23.6% in the past year.
Jay Seaton, chief marketing officer at Airwide Solutions, said
with significant increases in the use of mobiles phones both for
personal and corporate use, mobile subscribers and corporate
organisations will need guarantees that their phones and data are
secured.